The "skinny" on the Midway Stadium's transformation

St. Paul's provocateurs of fun and masters of sports marketing have done it again. The Saints' latest publicity stunt, renaming Midway Stadium "Skinny Water Stadium," has earned the team some great ink in the New York Times.

The Saints' parody of stadium naming rights was brilliant and I agree with Mick Veeck when he laments that the public has grown to expect naming-rights deals.

That's unfortunate.

Did you notice that the topic of naming rights never surfaced during the debate over the new Twins ballpark? Even though the people of Hennepin County are footing nearly two-thirds of the bill, don't expect the public to have any say in what the ballpark is called.

That privilege will go to the highest bidder and we can only hope it's a company that doesn't get sold, change its name or file for bankruptcy in the next couple years like so many who have negotiated naming rights have done.

There was a time when I could tell you the name of every ballpark and arena in professional sports. I stopped trying to keep up and would be lucky to get half right these days.